Tucker Terranova
GAME RECAP: Farmingdale Walks Off on Balk, Takes Game One Against Massapequa 1-0
by Tucker Terranova Final: Massapequa 0, Farmingdale 1 A walk-off balk gives Farmingdale the win and a game one series lead. pic.twitter.com/bqgfHqQn5f — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 30, 2025 It’s felt like Massapequa and Farmingdale have been on a collision course all season. Massapequa – the longtime powerhouse with six straight county titles before last year – and Farmingdale – the team that took the title in 2024 – have been two of the best in what is arguably Nassau’s toughest public school league this spring. With a combined 27-5-1 record in conference play, Thursday’s showdown delivered on what was billed as a clash of titans. Thursday’s encore offered an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel as Massapequa left-hander Thomas Harding and Farmingdale right-hander Colin Horowitz exc...
GAME RECAP: Danzilo’s Complete Game Lifts Wantagh to 6-1 Game One Victory
by Tucker Terranova Final: Seaford 1, Wantagh 6 Wantagh takes a 1-0 series lead in the Nassau County Class A Finals thanks to a complete game from Christian Danzilo. pic.twitter.com/67fxvkkRdp — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 29, 2025 Some players simply have a knack for playing their best when the lights are brightest. For Christian Danzilo, who earned a clutch save in game one of last year’s finals and got the start for top-seeded Wantagh in this year’s series opener, it’s beginning to look like this is the case. The senior southpaw committed to SUNY Oneonta allowed just one run, struck out three, and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning on 98 pitches, delivering a complete game for the Warriors in a 6-1 victory over A-2 #3 Seaford. It was a performance that Wantagh head ...
GAME RECAP: Seaford Tops Plainedge 6-2 to Punch Ticket to Class A County Finals
by Tucker Terranova Final: Seaford 6, Plainedge 2 The Vikings knock out top-seeded Plainedge and advance to the County Finals for the first time since 2023! pic.twitter.com/pFW0mkhgMw — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2025 Getting no-hit in the opening game of a best-of-three semifinal series is far from ideal. But having been in the same situation during the quarterfinal round against Clarke, Seaford knew what it would take to pull off a comeback. The No. 3 seed bounced back the only way it knew how—shutting out top-seeded Plainedge in Game 2, then sealing the series with a 6-2 win in Saturday’s rubber match. The victory sends the Vikings to the Nassau Class A county finals for the first time since their 2023 title run. “We just want to keep playing with our seniors,” junior ...
GAME RECAP: Carey Takes Series Lead with 4-1 Win Over Bellmore JFK
by Tucker Terranova Final | Carey 4, Bellmore JFK 1 Carey goes up 1-0 in the series thanks to four runs in the first two frames and excellent pitching from Jack Degnan. pic.twitter.com/ngceklEDXw — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2025 After falling to Bellmore JFK in last year’s Nassau County Class AA semifinals, there was no question Carey took the field with added motivation in Friday’s rematch. Despite a taxed pitching staff following a three-game quarterfinal series, Seahawks head coach Doug Robins handed the ball to senior Jack Degnan—who rewarded that trust with a dominant outing. Degnan tossed a complete game and delivered at the plate, leading No. 4 Carey past top-seeded Bellmore JFK, 4-1, in a brisk 102-minute opener of the best-of-three semifinal series. “Jack is a s...
GAME RECAP: Ventura’s Walk-Off Lifts East Rockaway in 12-Inning Thriller, Forces Decisive Game 3
by Tucker Terranova Final | Oyster Bay 3, East Rockaway 4 Joseph Ventura walks it off in the 12th inning to force a winner-take-all Game 3. pic.twitter.com/zU6vCQs8qi — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 20, 2025 With their season on the brink, East Rockaway didn’t flinch. Not after a nine-inning walk-off loss in Game 1. Not after falling behind twice. Not after 12 grueling innings and nearly four hours of baseball. “They’re just not ready to end their season,” head coach James Hickey said. The Rocks refused to quit—and Joseph Ventura made sure they wouldn’t. Joseph Ventura discusses his walkoff single, capping off an incredible game to force a winner-take-all Game 3 against Oyster Bay on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/QrL1MISeb2 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 20, 2025 Ventura...
GAME RECAP: Durso Outduels Coats, Leads Kellenberg Past St. Anthony’s 1-0
by Tucker Terranova Jack Durso discusses what worked and how he was able to navigate the St. Anthony’s lineup in Kellenberg’s 1-0 victory. pic.twitter.com/PExboTAb1x — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2025 Kellenberg has established itself as a Long Island pitcher factory, producing top-tier arms like Chris Cappas, Jason Diaz, and Andrew Koshy in recent years. It’s now time to add Jack Durso to that list. Durso, a southpaw heading to the University of Miami this fall, hasn’t just carried the torch in 2025, he’s added to the legacy. “Jack has been watching Kellenberg baseball since he was in sixth grade because his brother, Joe Durso, graduated in 2021,” head coach Pat Miles told Axcess Baseball. “He told me two years ago that he wanted to be on that Mount Rushmore with those gu...
GAME RECAP: Fernandez Highlights Seven-Run Inning in 8-3 Chaminade Win
by Tucker Terranova Lang racks up his fifth K of the day and is now through six one hit innings. Top 6 | Chaminade 1, St. Dominic 3 pic.twitter.com/OBDPIbd5Tt — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2025 In what turned into an instant classic, it took until the seventh inning for the game’s defining moment to unfold. Two outs away from beginning its championship quest in the loser’s bracket for a second straight season, Chaminade exploded for a stunning seven-run seventh inning, rudely greeting the Bayhawk bullpen. The rally was punctuated by a bases-clearing triple off the bat of Nolan Fernandez, giving the Flyers a lead they wouldn’t surrender. “When I got to the plate, I understood the situation and the magnitude of it,” Fernandez told Axcess Baseball after the game. “With two st...
GAME RECAP: LuHi Wins First Ever Home NYSAIS Playoff Game 6-1 Over Riverdale
by Tucker Terranova Matthew Garib discusses what led to his success on the mound in LuHi’s 6-1 NYSAIS Quarterfinal matchup against Riverdale. pic.twitter.com/mqvRMxPJgC — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 16, 2025 Once considered an afterthought in the Long Island baseball scene, Long Island Lutheran has turned heads in recent seasons and is making its presence felt this spring. With a move to independent status following four straight PSAA titles, the Crusaders built a schedule packed with top-tier competition, preparing themselves for moments exactly like this. In their first-ever home NYSAIS playoff game, they looked the part—calm, confident, and in control. “When you play winning programs, you learn how to win,” Coach Shaun Manning told Axcess Baseball after the game. “Playing a...
GAME RECAP: Harding Shines, Massapequa Takes Down Syosset 9-1
by Tucker Terranova Final: Massapequa 9, Syosset 1 A big afternoon from Thomas Harding leads the Chiefs to their eighth consecutive conference victory. pic.twitter.com/q8KByYALM6 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 12, 2025 No team on Long Island may be more determined to reclaim a county championship than the Massapequa Chiefs. “We’re very hungry, especially after how last season ended,” said St. John’s-commit Thomas Harding in a post game interview. “We’ve been playing harder than ever.” After their six-year reign atop Nassau County was ended by Port Washington in 2024, the Chiefs know exactly what it takes to return to the top: dominant pitching, timely hitting, and catching fire at the right moment. The 2025 version of the Chiefs checked all those boxes Monday night. Harding spu...
GAME RECAP: Hickis and Vera’s Four-Hit Days Lead Carey to 15-8 Win
by Tucker Terranova Tristan Hickis discusses his four hit afternoon which anchored a 15 run, 15 hit contest for the Carey offense. pic.twitter.com/WEBccJe9Bq — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2025 Nearly a month after dropping its first Conference AA-2 series in a 5–0 loss to Garden City, Carey has flipped the script. Since its first series of the campaign, the Seahawks have caught fire, winning 10 straight and taking three consecutive series before falling 3-2 to South Side yesterday. With a chance to bounce back and clinch a fourth straight series win, Carey erupted for 15 runs on 15 hits in its regular-season finale, topping South Side 15-8 in Wednesday’s rubber match. “We knew coming into this series that South Side was a great team,” Tristan Hickis told Axcess Baseball in ...
GAME RECAP: Kim Twirls Gem, Frangas Shines as Plainview-Old Bethpage Cruises to 7-0 Win
by Tucker Terranova Sawyer Bogarty adds to Plainview’s lead with an RBI single. B4 | Port Washington 0, Plainview 3 pic.twitter.com/n2ZJxRdlCA — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 7, 2025 After his offense plated two runs in their first trip to the plate, Josh Kim took back to the mound in the top of the second and ran into immediate trouble, resulting in the bases being loaded with the top of the Port Washington lineup due and two away. With an opportunity to set the tone and strand three Vikings, Kim did just that, inducing a popup to his shortstop and escaping untouched. Kim worked in and out of trouble all afternoon, allowing 11 baserunners but never cracking. The right-hander tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, anchoring Plainview-Old Bethpage’s 7–0 win in the latter game of the Confe...
The Road Back: Navigating the Tommy John Epidemic
(Photo Credit: Bill Kind) by Tucker Terranova Few motions in sports push the human body like throwing a baseball. Each pitch tears muscle fibers, stretches ligaments to the brink, and twists the arm into unnatural shapes. For many, this violent motion is the gateway to a dream. Whether it’s a college scholarship, a professional contract, or the chance to call yourself a Major Leaguer, players, especially pitchers, push their bodies to the limit. A few miles per hour on a fastball or a fraction of a spin rate on a slider can be the difference between making it to the next level or not. In today’s analytical revolution, pitchers have data at their fingertips, making this generation the most advanced yet. However, it’s also led many to chase metrics that college coaches and scouts crave. Com...
